


Baptize by Water, Baptize by Fire

by exbex



Category: due South
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-09-23
Updated: 2011-09-23
Packaged: 2017-10-23 23:39:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 300
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/256380
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/exbex/pseuds/exbex





	Baptize by Water, Baptize by Fire

It’s been years since Ray has traipsed through the snow, hunting down the perfect Christmas tree. When he was ten, his father began a tradition of disappointing his children by forgetting his promise to take Ray and his sisters to purchase one that year, instead arriving home well after dark, reeking of liquor. It was a harsh lesson, a reminder that a date on the calendar doesn’t fix the everyday realities.

When his nieces and nephews came along, he found a way to like Christmas, but that was all before Vegas.

Ren, no doubt, is trudging with intense purpose and whistling happily because he is a) Canadian, and b) thinking of how pathetic any attempt at something like Christmas would have been there (Ren is braver, he calls it hell, and Ray has to admit that Ren’s frank attitude and insistence on talking about it does remind him that he’s not completely insane).

Ray is wiggling his toes to keep them from going numb and contemplating how to tell Ren that the monstrosity he’s chosen is too big to squeeze into the Riv when that memory of his tenth Christmas sneaks up on him. Now that he knows what could happen if he represses pain and grief, he grits his teeth and lets it flood over him. He closes his eyes and considers diving into the snow, letting the cold and wet snap him back to the moment. But instead he waits it out.

“I’m here,” Ren whispers, his arms wrapped around Ray, easing him back, anchoring him. Ray opens his eyes and is a little surprised to feel tears on his face, but he just wipes them away.

“Too big,” he rasps.

“Okay,” Ren squeezes his hand. “We can negotiate.”

Ray nods, and watches the snow begin to fall.


End file.
